# Rahul Suntah

Rahul Suntah (born 6 June 1997) is a Mauritian composer, music producer and pianist. Rahul attracted significant media attention from platforms such as BBC and ITV for his viral piano covers of popular songs reaching millions of views on Instagram and his innovative ways of playing the piano.

## Early life

Suntah is a classically trained pianist who started learning the piano aged 8, at the Frederic Chopin Conservatory of Music situated in his hometown in Mauritius where he studied ABRSM Piano and Music Theory for 7 years. Suntah attended the Collège du Saint-Esprit in Mauritius from 2009 to 2016 for his Higher School Certificate and his A-level. Suntah pursued his tertiary studies abroad in the UK and got his Bachelor's degree in Audio and Music Technology from UWE Bristol in 2019 and his Master's degree in Composition for Film and Television from the University of Bristol in the UK in 2021. Suntah temporarily moved to Carlisle after his studies before moving to London in 2022 for 2 years where he worked as a professional pianist and a music teacher.

## Career

Suntah began composing music at the age of 13 and was a self-taught pianist after finishing his ABRSM Grade 5 exams. After finishing high school, Suntah decided to pursue his studies in Audio and Music Technology at the University of the West of England in Bristol in 2016, graduating in July 2019 with focus in composition, production and sound engineering. During his time at university he was among the winners of the annual UWE Bristol Talent Show in 2019. In February 2020, Suntah independently released his debut EP entitled Piano Stories entirely composed and self-produced by himself. In August 2020, Suntah was among the finalists of the Mauritian talent show Zenes Montre To Talan depi Lakaz. In early 2021, Suntah was featured as a spotlight artist on BBC Music Introducing talking about his original composition Paradise Island which eventually made the list for the top tracks of 2021. Suntah started getting recognition online after several of his videos went viral on Instagram and Facebook such as his piano rendition of Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca. His first ever viral video was his cover of the popular hit Despacito in 2017, which had attracted over ten thousand followers on his instagram page in the span of a few weeks.
Passionate about cinematography and film music, Suntah pursued a Master's degree in Film Scoring on scholarship at the University of Bristol, graduating in 2021. His cover of Gorillaz's Feel Good Inc. caught the attention of the popular American viral video show Right This Minute, was featured on BBC Radio Bristol's website in October 2021 and currently has millions of views on his instagram. Suntah was invited to play at a prestigious concert in Manchester Cathedral in February 2022 and was interviewed by british news programme ITV News about his musical career and his first UK concert. Suntah subsequently had his first solo concerts in Bristol and London in 2022. Suntah's cover of I'm So Excited by The Pointer Sisters was used in Maandag 's TV advert, a Dutch recruitment agency promoting new jobs in Amsterdam. Suntah was invited to star in the commercial in November 2022 directed and produced by The Family Amsterdam, an advertising agency working with the likes of Cara Delevingne and Snoop Dogg and was also invited to open for Maandag 's award show. Suntah was featured as a green room guest on BBC Radio London to chat about his career and perform live on radio. Suntah gave an exciting opportunity to young piano prodigy Rebecca Seziba from Cape Town, who went viral in early 2023, to join him in a virtual duet for his original composition Home Bound. The story attracted the support of popular american actress Viola Davis who shared their collaboration on her instagram page. Suntah had his first sold out solo show in his homeland Mauritius in 2024.

## Musical style and influences

Rahul has been described as a versatile musician and a piano prodigy known for blending Classical and Popular music and for reshaping the way the piano is played, using unconventional piano extended techniques and live loop setups with a Novation Launchpad while also incorporating a wide range of other musical genres such as Electronic, EDM, Jazz, Rock, Pop, R&B, Bollywood and Sega. Rahul cites many artists that influenced and inspired him across many genres such as Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Charlie Puth, Jacob Collier, Jamie Cullum, Daft Punk, Michael Jackson, Queen, Peter Bence, The Piano Guys and many more.

## Discography

List of Studio Albums/EPs/Singles by Rahul Suntah :
| Album/EP/Single | Details |
| Piano Stories (EP) | Released: 1 February 2020 Format: Digital download, Streaming Tracklist: Space Wander Stardust Lullaby Moon Waltz Paradise Island Home Bound |
| Cinematic Wonders (Album) | Released: 19 December 2021 Format: Digital download, Streaming |
| Horizons (Single) | Released: 7 November 2022 Format: Digital download, Streaming |
| Super Piano (Album) | Released: 21 December 2023 Format: Digital download, Streaming |

## Published Sheet Music Arrangements

* Paradise Island, Rahul Suntah
* Space Wander, Rahul Suntah
* Home Bound, Rahul Suntah
* Fly me to the Moon, Frank Sinatra
* Blinding Lights, The Weeknd
* Underdog, Alicia Keys
* She Will Be Loved, Maroon 5
* Shape of You, Ed Sheeran
* Despacito, Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee
* Échame la Culpa, Luis Fonsi & Demi Lovato
* The Avengers, Alan Silvestri
* Señorita, Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello
* Another One Bites the Dust, Queen
* Snowman, Sia
* STAY, Justin Bieber & The Kid LAROI.

## Awards

| Year | Organisation | Award | Result | Ref |
| 2019 | UWE Bristol | UWE Bristol's Got Talent 2019 | Won | |
| 2020 | Ministry of Youth, Empowerment, Sports & Recreation | Zenes Montre To Talan Depi Lakaz 2020 | Nominated | |